Chicken temperament

DarleneE

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9 Years
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Do chickens "mellow out" so to speak as they get older and grow up at all?? I have a Barred Rock and an Easter Egger that are 10 weeks old that I've raised from about a week old. I got them strictly as "pets". However they are seeming not as friendly as they were when they were little. I can (and do) just "get them" but they will squawk and carry on and they try to squirm out of my arms. They'll calm down after a bit but I just HATE that we go thru that in the first place!!?? I wanted two hens that would like to be petted and held like my friends chickens are. Did I get the wrong breed?? You'd think they'd be less squawky since I've had them since they were only a week old. Can anyone give me some advice or anything please?
 
Hello, yes - they do mellow over time. It also depends on the breed - my RIR Sonja & Dede the Dominique will tolerate being held etc.the others not so much. I would think that EEs & rocks would be suitable for petting/holding. They are not flighty breeds.
Do you pick them up and cuddle on a daily basis? offer treats when you have them in your lap, bribery usually works wonders! just petting, cooing and smoothing the feathers has a calming effect so be persistent. My friend got to the point where she would just sit on a certain deck chair and the girls would hop right up in her lap looking for treats!! Patience, patience.........
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Some of my birds have mellowed out when they hit maturity. I don't have a rooster right now so I believe they sort of think of me as their rooster. Also the more I link the association of myself with food the more they like me. If I just throw the kitchen scraps out for them they are not nearly as friendly as when I consistently hand feed them. Some breeds are naturally more friendly than others. Here is an article on socializing chicks. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-socialize-baby-chickens
 
Chicken behavior can change after laying. I had a exceptionally shy bird turn into a teddy bear almost over night after laying! A lot does depend on the breed as well. I have silkies and they truely are little teddy bears of the chicken world.all my birds love to be held and cuddled and will sleep on my stomach and purr. If your looking for that kind of bird you might consider a silkie. They are very docile and usually very friendly birds. I did have one shy bird but after laying she is now as cuddly as the rest. Each bird has their own personality and beeed comes into play with temperment. I would continue to work with your bird on a daily bases if they dont change after laying they likely wont. If your looking for a lap bird, one that Loves cuddles and pets and people I think you will really enjoy the silkie breed. But silkies are exceptionally docille and can easily be picked on by other birds of different breeds so you would have to watch for that or house them separately if there is problems. I've had silkies for years now and I've never came across a mean hen yet. Sometimes you will get a shy one but that usually changes after laying. You might look into the silkie breed if your looking for a really loving chicken. I hope this helps. Best wishes. Do keep trying daily with your bird and see if she will come around after laying. If she does not you might consider a different breed like a silkie. They really make wonderful pets and are great for kids. They lay smaller type eggs and can be a broody bunch but they are absoultely little love bugs. They are really kept more as a pet than for their eggs. They do lay well but eggs are smaller. But if your wanting a cuddly bird get some silkies and you will see how loving the are!
 
Funny you say that cause NOW I'm just DYING for some Silkies that I just learned about this morning and I'd even posted about if I could possibly get two Silkies and eventually, gradually put them in with my two birds. I've gotten mixed replies however. It seems some people think my Barred Rock may bully the Silkies. I'm just DYING to have some BUT I couldn't deal with them being killed or injured!! We unfortunately DON'T have the space for a whole other coop. Ours is 10' x 3' and is in our lanai!! We have not much room in the yard for a coop. We have some room for like a temporary coop that we could put NEXT to the current coop so they could get used to one another for awhile BEFORE putting them in together but not enough room to really have another coop there permanently. So I guess I'll just keep trying. They DO come to me for treats...However my girls are REALLY picky!! They LOVE macaroni and cheese (esp my Rock!!) and they just LOVE bread!! But they're even tired of meal worms!!?? They are two VERY finicky eaters!!
 

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